Photography

Recipe for a Nap

This entire year I've decided to try a stupid little experiment that we'll call "how long can the over-stressed mom go with little to no sleep before she totally loses her mind?" Some days we're ever so close to knowing that answer, and other days I get an hour or two of sleep and then we're pulled from the brink of disaster just in time.

But this week I've managed to push myself to the point of shutting down and tuning out everything for the sake of a mid-week nap. (Let me tell you that this happens once every quarter if I'm lucky.) If you're looking for the recipe for a nap, try this one:

*Take two ponies to the fair, thereby making yourself drive 30 minutes one way twice daily to feed them. Taking out 2 hours of your day (plus feeding time) really slows down production.

*Decide the week before school starts that your son's IEP needs revised, he needs double the amount of speech therapy that he's already getting, and realize that you haven't done any processing and paperwork for him to start kindergarten. School begins Monday.

*Schedule an all afternoon long IEP meeting with the school principal (who's also heavily involved with the fair), the other school principal, the speech therapist, the school teacher and myself the last business day before the beginning of school. And then inform everyone that you'll have to bring along 4 kids.

*Have one pony threaten to kill the other pony at the fair while you're not there to keep an eye on them, all over stray crumbs of hay from the neighboring pony. Worry non-stop that something will happen to ponies that are only yours on loan.

*Work an extra shift to cover for a friend, because actually being home this week would just be weird.

*Have an out of town guest stay for an overnight visit and chat until the wee smalls in the morning trying to catch up. Make breakfast for him with no milk, bread or sugar for coffee.

*Have a total lack of groceries in the house because the day that you planned to restock (for said guest) the car tried to die. We're grateful that it only passed out, but it was touch and go for a while.

*Find a concert 3 hours away for your favorite artist and plan to take the family for a good time, a late night and much melt-down.

*Have the person delegated to do advertising for the corn maze call and say she works full time and couldn't possibly do the job (that she volunteered for). The signs we should be putting out next week now need ordered. Find a place that will get them made and shipped ASAP for a reasonable price. Immediately.

*Promise the kids that I'll make them bookbags for the first day of school, and put it off until the day before.

So there you have it, people. Mix this all liberally with the daily 4 kids, 9 dogs thing and you've yourself a winning recipe for a nap. Just have fun finding time for it.

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And BTW, did nobody notice that the last rabbit in the last post was a stuffed animal? Because I just found that to be completely weird.

Posted by
Karen

22 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I wondered about that rabbit, but since I have never known a live rabbit up close and personal, I wasn't going to make that assumption.

I feel your pain on the need for a nap. After last night, I called my husband and asked him to bring dinner home. I was out cold before he hit the door. Thank goodness the kids didn't burn the house down or anything else crazy like that. I wouldn't have heard a thing.

Ooooo! I know how to find a nap. Either a) wait until the youngest child is 5 and you can send him/her off to school and blissfully nap while no one is in the house, forgetting all the obligations you have to get things done or b) exhaust yourself to the point of collapse where your body gives you no choice but to rest by fainting and sending you to the hospital.

Granted, sometimes b doesn't give you the choice of waiting for a! But hey, any naps on the schedule for next week yet, Karen?

I LOVE the stuffed rabbit. and woman, you made me so tired with the things you accomplished, I am going to bed. In your honor. Know that one Mama won't go crazy tomorrow because you inspired her to give up-- super woman role was already taken!

Is it sad that I can tell you the last time I had a nap? It was Friday, May 2nd. And really, I don't call it a nap as much as going to bed 5 minutes after walking in the door and throwing the children at their father.